And Then There's The Puppeteer
by allikatt2554
Summary: The idea of using her mutation has always terrified Nicole profusely. When her brother convinces to go with two men who require her help with preventing a crisis in Cuba, she can't refuse. When her personality doesn't mix with other members, will she be able to show them her hidden charm? Let's just hope that Charles can teach her control before they need her. Slight Alex/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is another OC story, but for X-Men: First Class. This is a preview, so expect regular updates starting in February. Although it is an OCxAlex story, it will mainly be about establishing my OC. There might not even be a DTR in this story, but I absolutely plan on a sequel that really ups the Romance. So... here's the first chapter. :]**

* * *

Charles and Erik approach a circus tent. They walk on a freshly beaten down path towards the carnival music emitting from the tent. Charles brings his hand up to his temple, reaching out telepathically for the mutant within the coordinates. "The girl, Nicole, is over there."

"Well let's get out here before the show ends. Trusting the carnival people doesn't end well." Erik huffs, not very happy to be in a rural farmlands. Charles nudges him, pointing towards two people loitering around the back of the tent. Erik looks and sees the figures standing around with cigarettes sticking out of their mouths. "Great. Teens smoking, perfect for an elite team of mutants."

Charles and Erik approach the teens, realizing that the two are related as they get closer. "They're twins." Charles whispers to Erik, picking up on the mutant's thoughts. Erik can't distinguish any similarities about the twins from this distance, but he decides that one's a girl and the other a boy. The taller one pulls his cap further down onto his head, taking a weak drag from his cigarette and flipping his collar up against the brisk air. He has a good three inches on his sister and steps in front of of her when the two men approach, flicking the mostly unfinished bud in the ground. He looks up, cerulean eyes reflecting momentarily before setting into a glare aimed at the strangers. Charles steps ahead of Erik, taking the initiative to talk to the two. "Hello I'm Charles Xavier and this my companion, Erik Lensherr. We need to speak to Nicole Smith."

"Yeah, I don't think she wants to." The guy spits a loogie and crosses his arms. "Just go in and enjoy the show, misters." Addressing them with pseudo respect as an afterthought.

Charles two fingers move back up to his temple. 'I think it's important that we talk Nicole.' He says in both of their minds, causing the short one to jump and grab on to their sibling's coattail. Nicole looks at him, eyes flashing for the second time. "Leave." She spits.

Erik huffs, finally noticing that Nicole is the taller twin who's currently locking eyes with Charles venomously. He demonstrates his ability by unzipping the Nicole's parka, revealing a leotard. "Great." He says, "We're recruiting a carnie." Then he holds out his hand and smirks when the knife hidden in her boot flies into his outstretched hand.

She flaps at the green garment, covering up the silvery material and turning her glare on Erik. "Don't call us that." Nicole at least has the decency to be bashful about being caught with a weapon.

Charles steps in before Erik can say anything else to further anger the mutant in front of them. "Yes, well Nicole, we need your help."

Her nose wrinkles as she let's out a sarcastic chuckle. "You're already in my mind. You know the answer, but I'll tell you anyway: _No_."

"But we can help_ you_. We can help with your control over your ability." Charles tries to appeal to Nicole.

"Do it." Nicole spins on her heel to glare at her brother. "You need to do it Smiles. It's time to stop to hiding from your shadow. I don't always need you to protect me." Erik watches the twins, noticing the twins similarities as they face each other. The brother is three inches shorter than his sister, and his hair tumbles down over his eyes as he takes his cap off. They both have the same black hair curling at their necks. The same slight overabundance of freckles across the nose. The same blue eyes, although Nicole's have a tendency to catch the light and shine like a cat. They both have a slight frame, making the boy appear weak and the girl seem willowy.

"Come on Colton," Nicole huffs at her brother. "We're going to stick together. Some men with pointy shoes aren't going to coax me into abandoning my little brother." Erik glances down at his dress shoes, noting the small point in at the tips.

Charles looks at the boy, feeling his sincerity about wanting his sister to help. He addresses Nicole "Your brother is very smart." He ignores the glare she sends at him for a second.

"You always seem to forget the fact that I was born first." Colton steps up to her and wraps her in a hug. "I'm not a mind reader, but I know the reason you're not taking these guys' offer is me." He steps back and pulls his cap back on, tucking his hair out of face and putting on courageous facade. "If you leave, then I can finally get on construction duty." He puffs out his chest. "No more spandex for me." He gives a half smile and a shoulder shrug.

Nicole mulls over the idea, snapping her head towards Charles as she feels a small voice in her head nudging her towards going with the mutants. "Stay out of my thoughts." She growls at him.

Charles raises his hands, palms facing up in a sign of surrender. "But I'm not in your head."

She sighs dejectedly, realizing that she has made her decision. She touches her forehead with Colton's. "Don't think your going to get rid of me so easily. I'll be back as soon as I can." He nods and she turns away from her brother and the tent. Nicole brushes in between both Charles and Erik as she starts walking the way that they came. "I'm assuming you drove here?" She calls back to them, not turning around to see if she would follow.

* * *

Nicole sat in the backseat of the car, wearing at the rim of her cap as she twists it around on her lap. Her eyes cleverly avoid the windows of the car, shifting between the back of Erik's seat and the back of Charles seat every few minutes. Charles looks at the mirror, internally flinching when blue light reflects into his eyes. He shifts his eyes slightly so he can still keep eye contact with Nicole without catching her eyes in the light. "So Nicole," He asks in attempt to break the uncomfortable silence that has fallen on the car. "What was your performance in the circus?"

The girl's eye twitches as she stares at the mirror. "Clearly I'm in maintenance." She mumbles, gesturing at the leotard under her parka.

Erik turns his head around and looks at the girl. "We are two hours into a five hour drive. Sarcasm won't be a wise passing time." He turns his attention back to the road.

They sit in a tense silence for another hour before the girl puts her hat back on, pulling the brim over and past her eyes. "Acrobat." She says, causing the two men to look back at her. "We were… no, we are an acrobatic act."

Charles smiles at the girl. "You and your brother, right?" She nods. "How long have you been with them?"

Her voice turns monotone. "It's almost been nine years, but you probably already know my whole life history."

"Contrary to your belief, I am not one to betray someone's trust. You asked me to stay out of your head, so until I have your permission, I won't reach out for you telepathically." Charles looks at the rear view mirror again, catching her eyes again.

Regret flashes in her eyes as she drops her gaze, pulling the cap off her head again going back to playing with it. "Sorry."

"There's no need to apologize to me Nicole. I'm determined to help you all."

When she hears that, Nicole grips the on the back of Charles seat, leaning forward. "You all?" She falls back in her seat, "There's more?"

Erik looks back at the distraught girl. "Did you think it would just be you?"

"I'm not so good at the whole 'making friends' portion." Nicole leans back into the seat and crosses her arms, scrunching her face.

Erik scoffs, "That is-" he pauses for a second. "Very believable."

"Now, let's not get hostile." Charles tries to defuse the aggressive atmosphere. "We are about 30 minutes away from another recruit. Erik it's the next right."They drive on as another awkward silence blankets the car. The rural country side slowly changes to a small town. Nicole is looking out the window, watching the scenery as Charles gives Erik more directions. Erik parks the car outside an aquarium and Charles turns back and addresses Nicole. "We'll be back soon. It's probably best for you to remain in the car."

Nicole nods and turns towards Erik. "I need it back."

Erik pulls her knife out of his jacket, "_Need_ is an interesting word."

Nicole turns to Charles, "Tell him to give me the knife." She looks at him panickedly.

"Erik." Charles turns to his friend, "Give her the knife." Erik floats the knife towards her and she grabs at it, tucking it back into her boot. They get out of the car and enter the aquarium, leaving Nicole in the car. She stares at the door handle, and the thought of running away flits through her head. People, _normal_ people, scare her. And the idea of having to interact with them is frightening. Even with the circus, she would only talk to Colton; nobody else would want to talk to her. Fear climbs up past her heart and rests in her throat.

Right when she starts to reach for the handle, Charles and Erik reemerge from the aquarium with a redhead stuck in between them. They get into the car, the redhead slipping in next to Nicole. He smiles lopsidedly, "Hey dude. I'm Sean." Nicole turns away from him, looking out the window and ignoring his introduction. "This is the part where you say your name back."

Charles calls back to them, "Nicole, don't be rude. We have an hour and a half before we get to the CIA research base."

Sean looks at Nicole, noticing her bare legs and the leotard under her parka. He does a double take and scoots over to the middle seat and throws an arm around Nicole. "Well Nikki, we're going to be in this car, we might as well get to know each other." Nicole turns towards Sean, her eyes flashing threateningly. She reaches downs and whips her knife out, placing it flat against Sean's hand.

She doesn't say anything, but Erik pipes up. "I wouldn't. She may not have a bark, but we don't know if she has a bite." Sean slinks back to his side of the car, and it's not long before he's happily chatting with Charles. They talk for the rest of the trip, ignoring the sulking girl in the corner. Nicole is mad at herself. She shouldn't have handled Sean that way but she froze, only wanting to get him away from her but no knowing how. She looks over, wondering if he still is mad at her. He smiles at her when he sees Nicole glance over, and she's shocked at his ability to forget that she had threatened such a short time ago.

They pull up to a sleek and modernised building, Erik parking right in front. They spill out of the car, and Nicole stares at the building. Charles puts a hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her nerves. "You ready?" He asks.

Nicole looks at the glass entrance. "Not at all." Although she says that, Nicole takes the first step towards the research facility.

* * *

**That's it for chapter 1!**

**So I'm thinking that one review saying that they want me to write this story is enough.**

**February**** is a long time to wait for an update when this is such an AU chapter, but I need to cough up the money to buy _First Class _so I can accurately adapt Nicole into the story line. I've read some Havok/OC fanfiction, my fav so far being Checkmate by Maddie Rose, so check it out!**

**I'm kinda of nervous about this story, and I hope it turns out well.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm ready to pick this story up and truly start updating! I'd like to apologize to those awesome people who followed me here from ****_Fighting Destiny._**** I promise that the next chapter is going to be up on Sunday... probably.**

**Last Time: ****_Charles puts a hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her nerves. "You ready?" He asks. Nicole looks at the glass entrance. "Not at all." Although she says that, Nicole takes the first step towards the research facility._**

* * *

Nicole is ushered through the imposing government building by Charles, Erik and Sean trailing directly behind them. They pass through the door and a gust of frigid air cause Nicole's legs to break out in goosebumps. She represses a shiver, but Sean notices. "As much as appreciate I Nikki's legs, when are we planning on covering them up?" He positions himself between Nicole and Charles and Erik moves towards Nicole's other side, much to her discomfort.

Charles chuckles in a semi-uncomfortable tone. "The plan is to introduce you to the others." He pauses as they pass through a set swinging doors, this set leading to a monotonously gray hallway. "Raven will help you any, clothes, that you may need Nicole."

Another doorway. Another gray hall. Sean nods along to Charles as though it was him that Charles was addressing. Sean cocks an eyebrow when Nicole breaks her silence. "How many identical hallways can one building have?" She grumbles with a tug at her cap, bringing it further down her brow, hiding all her expressions.

Erik smirks at the sardonic girl and even Charles's laugh is more whole-natured this time. "It may seem infinite, but we just so happen to be here." He and Erik push open one last set of doors before standing back for Sean and Nicole to come into the room. The first thing Nicole notices is the color. After walking past so many grey walls of concrete and steel, the whiteness almost makes her cringe. The lighting is brighter in the room, and she wants to retreat back to the dim and comfortably monotone hallway. She stops herself from reaching up and pulling her cap down again, instead opting to shove her hands in the pockets of her parka.

"Charles!" A feminine voice pulls her from the bright walls. Nicole finally notices the black leather couches, the chairs. She reluctantly notes the people lounging in the obviously designated living area. The girl who just spoke has blonde hair and a fashion sense, she won't like Nicole with her ratty parka. The guy with glasses sitting next to her has a spark in his eye. One that tells Nicole that he's too smart for her taste. The easiness in the dark-skinned man's smile warns her that he'll be the first one to try to get her to talk about stuff she rather not. The other girl in the room already has a look of distaste on her face and Nicole knows it won't take much for the look to be shot in her direction. But the blonde slouched in the chair immediately sets her on edge. Nicole takes in the nonchalance and hostility the boy exudes as he slouches in the chair. He is way too similar. Too much like her. Nicole put her walls up as high as they could go. The pretty girl speaks again. "Are you and Erik staying?"

Charles smiles at the blonde as he pushes Nicole towards the group. Sean is following him willingly for some reason. "We have a couple more places to go, but we're going to back very soon." He stands in between Nicole and Sean with his hands placed on each of their shoulders, ignoring the fact that they are both taller than him. Erik lurks by the doors. "Meet your new teammates, Sean Cassidy and Nicole Smith."

Nicole's line a vision stayed above their heads. The blonde stood up and smiled at them, holding out her hand. "I'm Raven, Charles's sister."

Sean moves away from Charles, taking Raven's hand and shaking it while smirking. "Cassidy, Sean Cassidy." He plops down in a chair next to the brooding boy with an annoying ease. Raven holds out her hand to Nicole, but she just stares at the outstretched hand, rooted in place. Sean throws his feet over the side of the chair scoffing at Raven's hand. "Watch out. Nikki likes to keep you guessing." He waggles his eyebrows. She scowls and shifts her foot around a bit, making sure her knife is nowhere being exposed.

Raven's smile falls and she makes a little 'o' noise, returning to her seat by the smart looking boy with the eyes that seem almost as blue as Nicole's. Charles pats Nicole's shoulder before dropping his hand to his side. "We're going to leave now, but I trust you all to keep things orderly until we return."

They all nodded along to his words, only half-listening. And before she knew it, Nicole heard the door slam shut as Erik and Charles left her alone with people within her own age group. The girl who wasn't Raven looked her up and down before saying, "So. Are you just going to stand there?" Nicole looks around for a spot but they're all occupied by at least one person.

"Nikki you can sit here." Raven slide into the middle of the couch, towards the glasses, and pats a free cushion. Nicole sinks down next to Raven, trying to position herself as far away from both of the blondes as she can get. Her shoulders are raised higher than someone who's supposed to be relaxed, and her hands rest on her kneecaps as she avoids eye contact.

Sean pipes up, throwing his arm her direction with gusto. "See what I've had to deal with! She either can't talk, or her mutation is some weird 'I can only speak in your head' type thing." He chuckles at the glare she gives him. "I think it's the part of the evening where the rest of you guys introduce yourself. I just _can't_ keep referring to you as four eyes." The boy with the glasses flusters and Raven frowns. But Sean has moved on and he looks at the dark-haired girl. "Unless you don't mind being called beautiful."

She gives an unimpressed smirk. "It's Angel."

Sean laughs again, "Really? Then I have a very serious question for you."

"Which one is going to be? Baby, somebody better call God, cuz he's missing an angel, _or_ am I dead, Angel? Cause this must be heaven. Oh, or were you going to ask 'did it hurt when I fell out of heaven'?" Angel asked with a raised eyebrow. Everyone save Nicole laughed at Sean's expense but he rolled with it, feigning hurt and joining in with the laughter soon enough.

After everything had settled down, the man sitting next Angel shifted in his seat before speaking. "I don't have any pick up lines that go with my name, but call me Darwin." He shrugs his shoulder with a smile on his face.

"I don't know, maybe we could we find something." Raven jokes, "What do you think Hank?" she asks the formerly flustered boy in a slightly flirtatious voice.

"O-Oh, I can't of think of anything." He jerks his arm up to his glasses in gawky motion. Nicole relaxes a bit. He may not be as pretentious as she originally assumed.

She relaxes her shoulders and makes an effort to remove her hands from her knees and let them rest in her lap.

"Darwin's not the joke." Raven scowls at the unnamed boy and Nicole actually flinches at his tone, his words sound joking but the undercurrents aren't at all sympathetic. She looks at him from under the rim of her hat, searching his face for signs of danger.

"Do you have something to say Alex?" Raven glares over Nicole's head at Alex.

Nicole feels a rising tension in the room, mainly between Raven and Alex. "Please. Hank using pick up line? Even if he knows one, it's not like he can deliver." Alex leans forward and looks over at Nicole's frown. "Don'tcha think so Nikki?"

Nicole's vision has a red creeping up in the corner. She pushes it down and ingores Alex. Raven is as equally livid as Nicole. "You couldn't just sit there quietly, you had to go and bring Nikki into this. You're not as clever as you think you are."

"So now it's wrong to try and get the newbie to participate?"

"It's not like you mean it. Nikki doesn't want to talk to you."

"How are you any better? Just speaking for her as if Nikki can't speak for herself."

"Guys-" Hank tries to interject but Raven won't let him.

Her voice has gradually raised and by now it's too loud to not be considered a shout. "She can't!"

Nicole snaps towards Raven, "What?" Sean breaks out into laughter when Nicole voices her confusion, doubling over at the group's expressions.

He wipes an imaginary tear from his cheek. "You guys actually thought she couldn't talk?" He laughs again. Nicole can't help it, her hand reaches up and tugs her hat off. She starts wringing the material in her hands, hearing the sharp intake of breath to her left but not paying attention to anything but the cap.

Raven goes from angry to apologetic. "Sorry Nikki, I just assumed."

"That I couldn't talk." She says it in a way that comes off as half a statement and half a question. A shrug is all she gets for an answer.

She pulls at a string in her cap. Hank adjusts his glasses. Sean let's out a laugh. "Nikki's power has to be the ability to make everything awkward."Alex laughs at his joke.

That's it, she reached her limit. Nicole bolts off the couch and glares at the two of them. Her hand fists around her hat as she says, "Nicole. Not Nikki. My name is Nicole." She glares at Alex for a second before turning to Raven. "Charles said that I should talk to you about clothes."

Raven stands up and nods, "Yeah, I'll take you to my room." She turns to the remaining girl. "Angel, you coming?" Angel sighs and follows them out. When Nicole passes by Alex she throws a glare his direction. Their eyes meet for the first time, blue on blue. A soft sky blue grimacing against the flash of her reflective cerulean. Nicole stops walking, caught up in the lack of emotion in his eyes. She sneers at him and walks towards the door faster than the other two. 'I was right,' she thought, 'He's too similar. He's hiding something.'

* * *

**Here we are, meeting everyone and Nicole is having a bit of trouble...**

**Now kiddies, I have one other OC story for Once Upon a Time and it will be a shared update space until I complete ****_Fighting Destiny _****(if you like Peter Pan/ OUaT/ OC stories check it out). Good news/bad news is there's only five chapters left in ****_Fighting Destiny. _****Sam and Nicole are not going to be very similar at all. It wouldn't be fun to write OC's with the same characteristics, only placed in different story lines. So if your expecting a blushing and stuttering Nicole, be prepared to be disappointed.**

**BananaLollypop: Here you go!**

**LoveLikeWoahWhoah and ****Smile****: Sorry for the wait!**

**Guest****: Okay I will, :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Last Time:**_** She sneers at him and walks towards the door faster than the other two. 'I was right,' she thought, 'He's too similar. He's hiding something.'**_

* * *

"Angel and I have taken the bottoms of the bunks in our room, so you're going to have to be on the top." Raven explains as she leads Nicole through the labyrinth of hallways that make up the covert government building. She watches Nicole out of the corner of her eye, making sure she doesn't decide to bolt. "Sorry about that, but we didn't want to go through the hassle that comes with the top bunk."

Nicole gives a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders. "Heights don't bother me." She mumbles, looking down at her scuffed boots.

Raven looks over Angel's head at Nicole. Somehow the shortest of three had ended up in the middle of their procession and it made Raven and Nicole look like bodyguards. Raven smiles at that. "Why not?" She asks.

"Huh?"

She smiles at Nicole when the girl looks over at Raven. "Is there a reason to the whole heights thing?" Raven asks, making an effort at opening the shy girl up. Nicole's eyes flit down to her jacket momentarily before returning to Raven's. While Raven had originally thought that Nicole was wearing shorts like Angel, she can now see a bit of shimmery fabric peeking out from the olive green fabric. A leotard, she figures. "Wow! A gymnast?" She asks with awe.

Nicole waits two beats before answering. "Yeah… gymnast." She wasn't very believable.

Angel eyebrows raise. "Then shouldn't you be short?" They both stare at the girl's height until she starts to squirm under their scrutiny. "You're almost as tall as Raven." She's right, Raven only has about a inch on the girl. Raven watches the girl fidget her hands for a very drawn out couple seconds before just giving Angel a noncommittal shrug. They walk in silence, but when the push through the next doorway Angel speaks up again. "Prove it."

"Angel." Raven scolds. She's embarrassed that Angel is egging on the new girl.

"What? I don't think she's telling the truth and neither do you. You're just too nice to say anything." Angel crosses her arms in defiance. Raven sees Nicole's short hair flip up as she falls forward. Raven yelps but Nicole's legs come up in the air as she stands on her hands. "God, Nikki! What're you doing?" Angel says while backing up.

Nicole starts moving forwards on her hands, maintaining a balance that Raven thought impossible. "Two things. First, it's Nicole. Not Nick, Nikki, or Cole. Second. I'm 'proving it'." Her voice is clipped and flat, but Raven thinks she can hear a bit of humor in her voice. They walk at the same pace as before, and Raven is surprised Nicole hasn't needed to slow down.

When they reach the door that leads to their room, Angel and Raven stop but Nicole keeps moving forward. "Nicole." She stops, "Our room is over here." They watch her as she folds her legs over and touch her shoulders with her feet. Her boots touch the floor and she pulls herself up, her hair clouding around her face before she brushes it from her face. She nods at them and motions for Raven to open the door.

* * *

At breakfast next morning, Hank and Raven talk about their night. "He wouldn't stop talking. It kept me up all night." Hank talks into his cereal, grumbling about Sean.

From her place across from him, Raven gives a sympathetic smile. "Nicole went to her bunk and didn't say a word after."

Darwin, Angel, and Sean walk over joining them at the lonely table in the mess hall. They wouldn't dare sit anywhere else. The government agents need to eat also, and they have a larger claim over the room.

"Morning," Darwin greets.

Sean plops down next to Raven, letting his tray of scrambled eggs drop the last couple inches to the table. "Talking about me?" Angel sits down next to him.

Hank gets adorably flustered, but Raven remains level-headed. "Maybe."

"I'm touched." Sean stops the process of shoveling his food in his face to respond. Not minding the eggs still in his mouth.

"Gross." Raven laughs at him. But then she looks at Angel. "I thought you were going to show Nicole to the mess hall."

Angel just frowns. "I thought you were going to."

Darwin sets down his juice. "I'm sure she'll find her way. If she needs to, she can just ask one of the suits. They're always lingering."

"Ha." Sean bleats. "Nikki wouldn't ask for help if her life depended on it." He takes a bite of egg. "I'd bet on it."

* * *

Alex rubs his face again, trying to wake up. He overslept and when he woke up the guys were already at breakfast. He walks down the hallway, glaring at any of the agents who try to make eye contact with him. He's walking fast when suddenly he trips over feet. Not his own, but someone else's legs that are just stretched out in the middle of the walkway. He glares at the girl who's just lounging on the ground. "What're doing?" he spits.

She stands up and brushes off her knees. "Waiting." Her hand clutches at the waist of her jeans.

"For what?" He asks, crossing his arms and glaring at her. She looks different out of her ratty clothes. Even just dressed in faded jeans and an oversized white button up shirt, she looks undoubtedly female. Different from the ragamuffin from last night.

Her eyes flash at him as she stares back. "Someone who's hungry." Alex opens his mouth to argue, but his stomach growls instead. She cocks an eyebrow at him and he scowls back. They set off, Nicole purposefully walking a couple steps behind him.

The next agent they pass makes an effort to avoid Alex's glare and as they pass by, Alex notices why. The guard is wearing his jacket and tie as normal, but he doesn't have a shirt. The man's tie is just resting against his unfortunately hairy chest. Alex looks back at the girl, realizing the reason behind her oversized apparel. They walk past the man and through two doorways without saying anything. "How'd you manage that?" He asks as they emerge into the mess hall.

Sean's laughter from across the room almost drowns out her answer. "My feminine charm, obviously."

* * *

**GOD! SO DAMN SHORT! But this is the end of the introduction. Next chapter is going to have content from the movie... Which is good because I was super bored of writing pre-exposition... Nicole's not the kind of OC to bond with characters without any type of catalyst. Soo, I have I question for you guys...**

**Would you rather have (almost) daily shorter chapters, or have longer chapters every (or every other) week (I like this idea better)?**

**In conclusion: Please review, make suggestions, or criticize! This story has a very loose outline which makes it susceptible to change.**


	4. Chapter 4

Nicole was brooding. Raven had made her return the agent's shirt, much to Nicole's annoyance. Angel had somehow painted her fingers in violet when she wasn't paying attention. She had spent the whole day running from the girls when they had suggested heels. Alex ran into her as she was about to finally break free, so she was especially mad at him. Now she has to sit in between Angel and Darwin so they can keep an eye on her, stop her from running away. Nicole had her knees drawn up to her chin, shifting around uncomfortably in the form-fitting shirt Raven had given her in place of the white button up. She can see the suits walking around just outside the glass of the window. They're probably making their rounds, which means they'll probably leave, moving to a different part of the building soon. While Nicole is sandwiched between Darwin and Angel, Raven and Hank lounge comfortably on the couch straight across from her. Nicole can see Alex holding up his head with his left hand out of the corner of her eye.

They're just hanging out talking about nothing special when Raven changes the subject. "We should think of code names. We're government agents now, we should have secret code names." Her voice is excited and that starts to worry Nicole. "I want to be called Mystique."

"Damn! I wanted to be called Mystique." Nicole looks over to see Sean slouched over in his chair, smirking at Raven.

Unlike Nicole, Raven knows how to deal with Sean. She laughs along with everyone else. "Well, tough. I called it." There's a blue ripple it's Sean sitting in her place. Nicole jumps at her change along with everyone else, but the most surprised is Sean. The Raven-Sean raises an eyebrow at the surprised boy. "And I'm way more mysterious than you." She changes back as she uncrosses her leg. And that's when it hits Nicole. These people are the same as her. Charles may have said that there were others, but a small part of her still thought she was alone. Angel's clapping brings Nicole back to the smug Raven. "Darwin, what about you?" She asks.

Nicole turns her head to the left. "Well, 'Darwin' is already a nickname, and, you know, it sort of fits. Adapt to survive and all. Check this out." Darwin stands up and Nicole's no longer caged. But she doesn't feel the need to run. She almost feels… _safe_. Darwin walks over to a fish tank? Because they have a fish tank in the lounge for some reason, Darwin braces his hands on either side of the fish tank and sticks his head in the water. Nicole watches over the back of the couch as he turns to face them and his gills open up and blow bubbles. Everyone cheers and the corner of Nicole's mouth twitches. It was pretty cool.

Hank stops cheering first to congratulate him. "That was incredible."

"Thank you." He moves his hand around and Nicole is filled with dread at the thought of having to share her mutation. He points a Sean. "What about you?" He sits back down.

"I'm going to be…" Sean looks around and gives a small wink to Nicole, smirking at the immediate scowl that follows. "Banshee."

Hank pushes his glasses up his nose. "Why do you want be named after a wailing spirit?"

Sean stands up. "You might wanna cover your ears." Everyone looks around skeptically before putting their hands over their ears. Sean lowers his face to Nicole's bottle of Coke. He tilts his head away before letting out a short screech that Nicole assumes was meant for the bottle. Instead the piercing noise shatters the glass window, letting the night chill creep into the room. As everyone whoops Sean points to Angel. "Your turn." He falls back into his chair.

"My stage name is Angel." The two newbies didn't know about Angel's job and Sean whistles, impressed. Nicole doesn't bristle the way that Angel expected her to, in fact she gives Angel a small and understanding smile. Angel turns her back to them and starts to shrug off her jacket. "It kinda fits." Her tattoos unfurl into wings that remind Nicole of when she chased dragonflies.

Raven sits forward, "You can fly?" Her voice is equal parts awe and impressed.

Angel nods, smiling. "Uh-huh. And…" She faces the window and Nicole watches as she spits something large and green at the statue in the courtyard. They all break into fits of laughter when the bronze on his head smoulders away. Even Nicole's mouth is stretched in a wide closed-mouth grin. "Woah. That smile is evil looking." Angel tells her falling back next to Nicole. One corner of her mouth drops, making her look less mischievous. "What's yo-" Angel starts to ask Nicole but she sees the flash of fear in her eyes. Angel turns to Hank. "U're name?"

Hank flushes and starts to awkwardly twitch. Alex takes a swig of his drink before scoffing. "How about BigFoot?" Sean chuckles a little but no one else does.

Nicole's eyes flash in warning but Raven just turns the joke on him. "You know what they say about guys with big feet. And uh, yours are kind of small." Alex scoffs and Nicole looks at the anger swirling in his eyes. _Danger._ She needs to defuse the tension before something bad, something really bad happens.

Darwin can see what she sees. "Okay, now." He calms down both Alex and Raven, both of them breaking away from their stare-off. "Alex, what is your gift? What can you do?"

When Nicole sees Alex rection, she remembers why she hates him. Right now, as his eye twitches and he shifts around uncomfortably. It's the same. The fear crawling into his eyes although he tries to mask it. _Same_. "It's. No…" He trails off and his eyes flicker around the room. "I just can't do it." They all groan, except Nicole, who's too far taken in his reaction. "I can't do it in here." God he's so similar to her and it makes her sick.

Darwin noticed the tension but not his discomfort. "Can you do it out there?" He gestures towards the disfigured statue

Raven eggs him on, her curiosity outweighing her grudge. "Why don't you just do it out there?" _No_.

Angel joins in. "Come On." _No_.

"Alex." _No_. Alex. Alex Alex." Soon, only Nicole and Hank aren't chanting for him. Hank just doesn't like him, but Nicole is afraid of whatever power he has. If he doesn't want to show people, it's not going to be kittens and rainbows.

He rolls his eyes and stands up. Nicole's gut clenches and Darwin claps. "That's the spirit."

Alex walks outside, calling back to the group. "Get down when I tell you."

"Get down when I tell you." Sean mocks as they walk towards the concrete barrier covered in broken glass.

Their heads poke out to watch Alex standing off to the side, facing the statue. "Get back." They move back inside for a second and Nicole is content to stay there, but a second later Raven grabs her as they peek around the corner again. "Get back!" He raises his voice and motions for them to move. Nicole tries but Raven has a strong grip. "Whatever." he mumbles before throwing his hips and arms around, creating red rings that fly haphazardly towards the statue. Everyone ducks as the statue is split in half and its torso slides off in flaming squelch. Everyone claps but Hank and Nicole again. Nicole's frown has grown noticeable and the furrow above her eyebrows has grown to a comical depth. Even the _color_. They even shared a color. He jumps back into the room and looks at Nicole. "It's Grumpy's turn."

Her nose twitches. "Grumpy?"

Sean throws an arm around her shoulder. "Well, we haven't actually seen you smile."

Hank is confused. "She's smiled before."

Alex shakes his head. "But those are like.." he then tries to imitate Nicole. Curling the corners of his mouth up without truly smiling.

Sean joins in and Nicole starts seeing red. She pushes his arm off her and turns a menacing glare on Alex. One that causes her sharp features to elongate and look menacing. "And you're Ms. Sunshine?"

It's Darwin that defuses the tension for the second time. "Okay now," He puts a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Let's not get into this. Nicole, what's your power?"She tenses. If she does what Alex did, they won't let up. But she just can't expose it.

Nicole sighs and flips over the the broken glass, causing the boys to clap in excitement. Angel and Raven know that her fancy tricks aren't **the** fancy trick. Nicole walks until she's three feet away from the burning statue. She turns on her heel and faces the twelve eyes staring at he. Their cheers stop when she holds up her hands. Her eyes shut in concentration. They watch her move them around in a fluid motion, her arms bending and twirling in a graceful motion. There's a ripping noise and one of the shrubs planted next to the building is pulled out of the ground by Nicole. It's jerked towards her in a rather ungraceful way and her eyes shoot open to watch it bounce forward.

Raven screams in shock. Nicole's eyes are gone, replaced with a swirling of blood color that takes up everything. When Nicole hears Raven she drops her arms to her side, causing the shrubbery to fall at her feet. She ducks her head and bites on each of her nails. When she nibbles on her last pinkie, the blood streams down her tear ducts and they can see her impossibly blue eyes again. She walks back to them without meeting anyone's gaze. Just praying that they bought it. That they believed _that_ was her ability.

"Here." Hank hold out a handkerchief for her to wipe her blood streaked face with. They didn't hate her. No one was looking at her with disgust. It was too much for Nicole's psyche to handle. She rubs her face clean and smiles at them. Hank flushes and everyone else smiles back at her.

Alex clears his throat, "Sorry." He mumbles.

She raises an eyebrow. Feigning normalcy, pretending that her heart isn't racing in anticipation for their reactions. Pretending that she hasn't just lied about her powers. "For the tooth or the blood?"

Raven takes her hand. "The blood. It does that every time?" She nods while looking at her feet. Raven smiles at her. "Well I think the tooth adds character." And for once, Nicole didn't care that the chip in her left incisor slanted and took up half of the tooth.

Darwin claps. "Okay time to celebrate." He goes over to the record player. "Anyone up for some "Hippy Happy Shake"?" Both Nicole and Alex groaned.

* * *

The scene Charles returns to is absurd. Sean and Alex are attacking Darwin. Angel is flitting around Raven, who's dancing on on of the destroyed couches. Both Hank and Nicole are hanging from a light fixture, although Nicole is using some sort of complex acrobatic, Hank is just swinging on his feet.

"Come on! You can go harder than that. Harder! Harder!" Charles watches as Darwin eggs Sean on, causing him to swing at Darwin with a dining chair. It shatters upon hitting his beetle like shell.

Moria walks forward and places her hands on her hips in a I-mean-business-manner. "What are you doing?!" She yells. Everyone stops. Hank, Angel, and Nicole return to the ground. "Who destroyed the statue?!" She points at the remains of some immortalized government figure. Alex scoffs at her.

"It was Alex." Hank blurts. Alex glares at him but Nicole is the one who glares back.

Raven speaks up, getting off the couch. "No, Havok. We have to call him Havok. That's his name now." She moves in front of Hank. "And we were thinking you should be Professor X." She point to Charles. "And you should be Magneto." Her finger moves to Erik.

Erik looks at Raven, "Exceptional." That's all he says to her before walking away. Moria follows him, leaving Charles behind.

Charles looks at Raven disappointingly. "I expect more from you." Her face falls as he walks away.

* * *

Later when the girls are in bed, Raven can't stop thinking about the way Charles reacted. There's a rustling above her and Nicole's face pops up as she hangs off the side of the bed. Her hair hangs straight, making her look like a troll doll. "You wanna talk about it?" She asks.

"How'd you know I was awake?"

"You move around a bunch… and you snore."

"I do not snore."

"I know." Nicole's reflective eyes catch and shimmer. "But I also know that the older sibling can't stay pissed long. We're weak against the puppy dog eyes."

Raven pulls her covers to her chin. "Charles and I aren't really related."

"When has that stopped you before?" Nicole shakes her head in disbelief. "You introduced yourself to me as 'Charles's sister'. He'll get over it. Fast."

"_We're_ weak against puppy dog eyes?" Raven cocks an eyebrow, whether Nicole can see it in the dark room isn't clear.

Nicole smiles for the second time that day. More than she's used to. She addresses the unasked question. "A baby brother. But he'd get mad at me if I say anymore." Raven lids start to droop. After clearing her mind, she wants to drift off. Nicole can tell, even in the dark. "G'night." She pulls back up into her bunk and curls into a ball, throwing her blankets at the foot of the bed.

"Goodnight Nicole."

* * *

**Okay I'm on track to writing more. And for those expecting a Fighting Destiny chapter tomorrow, please please don't hate me. I still haven't got to watching the last couple episodes, I don't know why. At this point, I'm really surprised 24 people have followed this. Three really short and un-fulfilling chapter in. I was expecting less because there's not a huge fandom for this right now, as we're waiting for _X-Men: Days of Future Past_. But thank you all for the support.**

**Any feedback whatsoever is welcome. **


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